Re: how to reload with out a bench?other dumb question
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: chris112</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BobinNC</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BMG50CAL</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Whats the cost between reloading 308 vs buy match 308 500 round cases ?
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Most folks overstate the "savings" when speaking about reloading.
Here is a reprint of a post I did some months back, and I updated some of the costs with current street prices:
First:
Let's look at some real world figures for a 308 Winny:
My baseline is 1000 rounds Factory fresh vs Reloads. I'm using 1000 rounds because my reloads average 10 reloadings, and I try to normalize the initial cost of the brass:
First Factory: I'll use the current street price of Federal GMM ammo. Best prices I found for Fed GGM w/175 gr bullets, were $1.35 per round, or $1355. per thousand.
Now Reloads using quality components for 1000 rounds:
Lapua Brass $64. per 100
Sierra 175 SMK's $386. per 1000
Primers $ 38.00 per 1000 For Federal 210M primers
Powder $123.00 per 1000 shots @ 45 grains per shot of Varget.
Total cost of 1000 first quality reloads = $611.
But if you buy factory Fed GMM you could sell your once fired brass for maybe $.20 each, so that's $200.00 per 1000 you could recoup back.
So the new totals are:
Factory HGMM per 1000 = $1355. less $200.00 = $1155. net
Reloads per 1000 = $611.
Net "savings" per 1000 308 Win Rounds = $544. or about .54 cents per round.
If you consider that a "first line" reloading setup will cost in the neighborhood of around $900.00 (that includes everything for a 308, including match dies). Then in less than 1667 rounds of shooting you have "paid" for your reloading kit.
After that it is all gravy.
One could of course buy cheaper components, and cheaper reloading stuff, like Lee for example, and beat those figures. So YMMV.
Bob </div></div>
You might want to double check the prices you used for that break down.
I do know that primers are $29.99 per brick around here (as of last week).
Good break down however.
Would you be good enough to describe what you regard as a "first line" reloading kit? I have seen all kinds of lists of "minimuum" reloading setups, most of which have a lot of stuff that I have not needed in the roughly 40 years I have been reloading.
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Chris,
I used Midway USA prices for my convenience, and not an effort to find the "lowest" price for each component. My cost breakdown was meant to be representative of average costs, and not what could be obtained by diligently shopping around for the best prices.
What I describe as a "first line" reloading kit, is buying each reloading component separately, and not as some complete "kit".
Something like this using new equipment:
Forster Co-AX Press or Redding T7
Electronic scale and electronic powder dispenser, like the RCBS Chargemaster for example
Benchrest quality dies, like Redding or Forster or RCBS Gold
Case tumbler or vibratory case cleaner
Digital Micrometer
Digital Calipers
Powered case trimmer
And other assorted bits and pieces.
Not that all this powered gear is necessary, but it is what I define as "first line", with maximum use of labor savings devices. One could certainly go cheaper, but I was describing a upper end setup, to frame the prices, on what could be expected to be "spent" and "saved".
Diligent shopping, buying a used rather than a new press, buying more manually driven equipment, will of course bring the prices down.
I was not trying to cover all situations, or find the lowest reasonable reloading ensemble or component list. And if you can find primers $9. cheaper per 1k, feel free to deduct a penny per round from the cost, therefore increasing your saving from .54 cents to .55 cents per round. I'm sure that does make a big difference in the outcome
Regards,
Bob
